True
by Lady Lizi
Summary: Norah Winslow, Tammy's twin sister, has been in England for months. Upon hearing about Dinah's return, however, she decided to make her way back. After all, family comes first. CoopNorah


It was definitely safe to say that Norah Winslow hadn't seen anything like it before. She'd read about the Beacon in letters her mother had sent to her, but it was really a beautiful establishment. It looked old. Antique, almost. A rustic air filled the area surrounding it, and she felt as though she were standing in front of a castle. She smiled and pushed the front door open. Supposedly, she was supposed to be meeting her twin sister there, seeing her for the first time in months. Tammy and Norah were always close, and growing up, Norah was Tammy's rock of Gilbraultar. She was always there when Tammy needed something, and this time was no different. Tammy had called Norah's cell phone, crying dramatically.

Apparently, Dinah Marler, the woman who had shot and killed Hart Jessup, who was both of their first father figure, was back in town, and ruining everything for the family. The last Norah had seen of Springfield, Illinois, was when her second father figure, Richard Winslow, was killed, half by a car accident, and half by her aunt Reva Lewis. Although most of the town was able toget past it, losing three fathers in a lifetime was enough for Norah. Not that she blamed her aunt Reva, she just needed to get away, and decided to do so by going to England. But, when the family was in need, selfish time was over, and she was always there, no matter what the past held. She looked around the room for Tammy, but when she didn't see her, she sat down and made herself comfortable.

Never would she have expected what came next. Not Tammy, not her mother, Cassie, not RJ or Will, but the one person (aside from Dinah) that she considered the scum of the Earth, Edmund Winslow. Edmund, Richard's brother, insisted upon always making her family's life miserable. And she honestly wondered, at the moment, how he dared show his face around Springfield, with all the people who hated him. "My Lord. Is that you, Norah?" he asked her, obviously thinking that since her mother and sister had forgiven him, she would too. Wrong answer.

Norah showed a half-interested glance and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Edmund. It's me. Now that you've seen me, can you go find my mother or sister and tell **them **that I'm here, before I'm tempted to kill you?" she asked, doing another sweep of the room, looking for Tammy or Cassie.

Edmund nodded, as though he expected that sort of reaction. "Yes, but before I do, Norah, I would like you to remember that people can, indeed, change. No matter what you want to think," he explained to her, as though she didn't know. "Your mother and sister have seen that in me, and I can only hope that you'll see the same eventually."

Norah rolled her eyes. "Keep hoping..." she picked up a magazine from the table and started to read, hoping for someone she wanted to see.

Once Edmund walked out of the room, she got just that. In walked Marina Cooper, Norah's closest friends growing up. Sometimes closer than Tammy and Norah, Marina and Norah were all but inseparable, despite a two-year age difference. Marina looked around the room, and once her eyes fell upon Norah, she did a double take and rushed up to her. "NORAH!"

Norah stood up, arms open and squeezed Marina tight, in a huge hug that may as well have taken over the universe. "HI!" she shrieked. "Oh my God! I have SO much to tell you, Marina! We have to get together and hang out!"

Marina nodded and grinned. "You can meet my boyfriend, Sandy!" she released Norah from the hug. "So, anyway...how have you been?" she asked, since it had been weeks since they'd even talked on the phone.

Norah shrugged and sat down, watching as Marina followed her lead, sitting beside her. "I've been relatively good, actually. Up until a couple weeks ago, when I got a call from Tammy, telling me that Dinah was back in town..." she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Why is it that Springfield is home to the scum of the Earth?"

Marina reciprocated her glance and shrugged. "I have no idea. Like the Spauldings, you mean?" she asked with a growl in her voice.

Confused, Norah raised an eyebrow. "Okay now, Tammy told me about Lizzie, but the Spaulding**s**?" she asked. "What's wrong with the rest of them?"

Marina laughed out loud. "More like what's **not** wrong with the rest of them. We have Gus, who broke my aunt Harley's heart..."

Once again, Norah was lost. "Gus? Aitoro? What? I thought we were talking about the--"

"Oh, he's a Spaulding, all right...Alan's lovechild with a Spaulding maid..." Marina explained, arising a chuckle from Norah. "And then we have Alexandra, the drug dealer, Phillip, the hostile takeover master, who's starting with Company, thereby giving my Grandpa a heart-attack..."

Norah's jaw was on the floor. "What? Buzz? Is he okay?"

Marina nodded. "Yeah. But Company's not..."

Norah shook her head and frowned. "Company? I all but grew up there..."

Marina sighed. "I know...me, too. Man...it's so messed up..."

Norah looked down, and tried to find something to cheer Marina up. "So...what's this about a boyfriend named Sandy, eh?" she asked, a grin plastered firmly on her face. "What's he like?"

Marina shrugged and smiled wide. "You'll have to meet him..."

From the top of the stairs, a young woman could be heard squealing "Oh my God!" and then, within seconds, Tammy Winslow was seen bounding toward her sister, arms outstretched. "NORAH!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around her sister in a huge bear hug. "Oh my God, I missed you!"

"Right back atcha, Tam!" Norah returned the hug and smiled wide. "So, how are things? Aside from the whole Dinah deal."

Tammy shrugged and sat down where Norah had just been sitting. "Eh. I'm just glad you're home, Nors..."

"So am I..." a voice was heart from behind Norah, which caused her to turn around and smile. Cassie Winslow stood, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. "Hi, honey!"

Norah stood up and approached Cassie, a smile on her face, too. "Hey, mom. How are you doing, I mean, with Dinah being back and all..." she asked, knowing that was most likely the prominent topic on Cassie's mind.

But she was wrong. The prominent topic on Cassie Winslow's mind was her oldest child being home, and that she was home. "Better now, honey. Better now..." she nodded and ran a hand through Norah's blonde hair. "So, where are you staying, sweetie?"

Norah laughed, knowing Cassie thought she'd stay in their room at the Beacon with them. Wrong answer. She loved her mom and her sister, but there was only so much she could handle. Aside from that, there was no way she was sharing a suite with Edmund Winslow. "I'm crashing over at aunt Reva's, since she's by herself. I've got it covered, mom. I thought of it already..."

Cassie nodded and smiled. "I know, I thought you probably did, I just wanted to be sure you had a place to stay. I was going to offer you a suite here, free of charge, but you've got it covered..."

Norah nodded. "Aunt Reva needs the company, anyway. What, with Josh and Shayne in Bosnia and Marah in Paris? It's the least I can do..." she shrugged and looked at Marina. "Speaking of...Shayne...are you okay?"

Marina nodded. "We decided to go our separate ways. Shayne is doing what makes him happy..." she sighed and shrugged. "Besides, Sandy and I were getting close, and it wasn't fair to Shayne."

"Wow, I missed so much..." Norah laughed a little and shook her head, looking around the room. "I'm so glad to see you guys again. I missed you so much!" she smiled wide, adn laughed when a though came to her head. "To think, Dinah brought me back here to you guys."

"Chalk that up as one of the few good things she's done," Tammy added.


End file.
